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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

This one goes out to all the YA writers, the creators of teens, and especially the writers who aren't, well, teenagers anymore. If your teen character is going to fall in love, you need to remember what it's like to fall in love at that age. If you can't remember or never experienced it, my high school diary and I are here to help.

Disclaimer: I married my high school sweetheart, so I've never fallen into new love as an adult. I can't compare new teen love to new adult love. Buuuut, after you read my diary excerpt, you'll probably agree that new adult love wouldn't look the same.

A little background on my highschool love story:
In sixth grade, my family moved into a new house, where I met my future husband, who lived next door. At first, I thought he was a weird creep because he and his siblings stood on their side of the hedges and just watched us move in all our bags and boxes. Then, to my dismay, he started coming over to our house to hang out with my brother. Little did I know, he was only befriending my brother to spend time closer to me! I can't remember how or when it happened, but suddenly I started caring how my hair looked when he came over. I found out he thought Donna from That 70s Show looked cute in her school uniform, so I started keeping on my school uniform after school, but in a totally chill way, like, "Oh, I forgot to take off this outfit I'm forced to wear every day? Huh." I giggled over every little thing he said and couldn't wait to come home from school so we could play dodgeball together.

We both like liked each other, but we pretended not to until the summer before ninth grade. Everything changed the night of the Miss America Pageant. He was watching the pageant on TV with my family and me (I know, he REALLY liked me), but we were bored and passing notes. Because you don't just have a conversation right there with your parents and siblings listening. And we didn't have cell phones quite yet. I asked him if he liked anyone, he said yes. Someone I knew? Yes. How many letters in her name? Seven. (SEVEN! OH MY GOSH, THERE ARE SEVEN LETTERS IN JESSICA.) And then finally he sent a note back that said, "YOU." My face erupted with heat. I couldn't breathe, couldn't form a response, and definitely couldn't look at him. Because it was the only answer I wanted, but at the same time...when you're a teenager, falling in love for the first time feels like:

Source: giphy.com

Source: giphy.com

Source: giphy.com

Source: giphy.com

Source: giphy.com

Source: giphy.com

You get the point. Lots of emotions backed by lots of hormones.

Okay, so I mentioned a diary excerpt. My old diaries should probably be burned, but instead, I'll share pieces of them with the internet because that's a good idea and not at all embarrassing.

The diary:
First of all, check out this cover.

I was obsessed with Hilary Duff. But not as obsessed as with Gary, my crush and now husband, as you can see from the inside cover.

I mean, when I was fifteen and he was fourteen, I actually thought that a marriage proposal was in the realm of possibility just because he said he had a surprise for me.

And then here are a couple just in case you don't understand how consumed I felt.

As an adult with normal amounts of hormones and some life experience, it's tempting to tell the teen who wrote these diary entries, "Whoa, calm down because you're kind of desperate and obsessed and there's more to life than this boy." But my feelings were real. Healthy? Ehh, probably not. But real. And that boy was the great love of my life. My forever. (And you know it's real love because he has since seen this diary and did not run away.)

So when you're writing teen love, checking to see if you pass the Bechdel test, and writing independent young women, don't forget what love actually feels like to young people. It's HUGE. Love consumes. Love is wild, torturous, good, emotional, physical, and oh so real. Don't be afraid to go there because teens need to see themselves in books...even the parts of them that are desperate and obsessed.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

It's February Guestopia time, and today we're welcoming the fabulous S.J. Lomas to YAtopia!

S.J. LOMAS

S.J. is a cheerful Michigan girl who writes strange and somewhat dark stories. Librarian by day and writer by whatever free time she can find, she has an extra special fondness for books by Michael Lawrence, Beth Revis, and Kelly Creagh. Her to-be-read pile will take several lifetimes to get through, yet she continues to add to it. She thinks she'd enjoy living an extra life in a dreamworld, especially if she could dream her way to England

Off we go!

Is this your
first published book?

This is my first YA book. I have also published 3 digital picture books
with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as Sarah Perry. Pajama Girl, Pajama Girl Meets
Blanket Boy, and There Was an Old Woman: An Alphabet Adventure.

What’s it
called?

Dream Girl. The sequel, Dream Frequency, will be released this spring.

Which genre?

Young Adult

Which age
group?

Teens age 13+

Is it a
series or standalone?

It’s a duology. Just the two books.

Are you an
agented author?

Not yet, but I’m hoping to get there someday.

Which
publisher snapped up your book?

An independent publisher in Royal Oak, Michigan called Scribe Publishing
published Dream Girl. Unfortunately, the publisher is no longer doing fiction
so I’m putting Dream Frequency out on my own.

How involved
have you been in the whole publishing process of your book?

For Dream Girl, I was lucky to have a good amount of creative input into
the publishing process. For Dream Frequency, I am the publishing process. I
have a lot of great connections so I can’t say I’m going through it alone, but
it is cool to have the final say on everything.

Do you have
another job?

I’m a librarian. (Can you tell I love books?)

Did you
receive many, if any, rejections prior?

Yes! It’s a disheartening experience, but I’ve read a lot of articles
about how many times very famous authors were rejected so I always felt that I
was in great company.

What
created/what were you doing or watching when the first idea for this book sneaked
up on you?

The very
first inklings of Dream Girl came to me during college. I woke up from a very
weird and vivid dream and scribbled down some thoughts about it. I knew it
would make a great story somehow, someday but I didn’t do anything with it for
several years. Finally, I was reading A Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence
and when I finished it, my dream popped into my mind and it hit me it had to become
a young adult novel. The storyline started coming to me after that.

How long did
you plot/plan until you started writing it?

I am more of a pantser than a plotter. I scribbled a few character notes
and took off writing.

Once you
started, did the story flow naturally or did you have to step in and wrestle it
into submission?

There were some
missteps with the plot, but I tried to write as much as I could and not worry
about the draft until I had to. Just getting something down was more important
than having it come out right. You can always go back and revise.

How many
drafts did you write before you let someone read it? Who was that someone?

I was still writing it when SCBWI had a local conference with paid
critiques available. It was for the first 10 pages so I decided to give it a
try to see if it was even a project worth continuing. I was matched with NYT
Best-selling author, Jay Asher. Even though it was pretty rough at that stage,
he was very encouraging and enthusiastic about the pages he saw. That kept me
going. I didn’t let anyone else read it until about draft five. And that was my
fellow writer/friend, Jody Lamb.

Did you
employ an editor/proofreader or did you have a critique partner/beta readers
before you started querying?

Jody Lamb read and edited for me before I sent it out. I was also lucky
to have worked in advertising for a few years. Through that, I have friends who
are graphic artists and proofreaders. I became good friends with one of the
proofreaders and she went through the manuscript before I sent it out.

Roughly how
many drafts did it take before you sent the manuscript off into the real world?

I believe it was around seven.

How many
drafts until it was published?

Nine.

Has the book
changed dramatically since the first draft?

Not so dramatic that you wouldn’t think it was the same book, but there
were some substantial changes, including a character who wrote himself in
halfway through. He ended up becoming one of the most important characters in
the book.

Are there any
parts you’d like to change even now?

Oh yes. I think I could always find something to change around, add,
delete, or fiddle with. When I come up with an idea for a novel, it’s like this
glowing orb of possibility in my mind. It isn’t concrete but it’s shining and
beautiful. I think it’s impossible to ever get the finished project to fully
realize that glowing ideal I started with, but it doesn’t stop me from trying.
I get as close as I can, but there’s always more that could be done. At least,
it feels that way.

What part of
writing do you find the easiest?

Naming characters and writing dialog comes easiest for me.

What part do you find hardest?

Getting through the marathon of completing that first draft is the
hardest. I often find myself wishing I could just plug a USB drive into my
brain and get the basic story out that way. I’d rather work on revising what’s
already there, even though that is difficult too. But all of it’s difficult in
a good way.

Do you push
through writing barriers or walk away?

It depends. Some days, I sit down at the computer, open my Word document
and then say, Crap. It’s THAT scene. Suddenly,
housework never looked so appealing, or scheduling appointments, etc. But I can
only let myself get away with that for so long. Then I take a look at what’s
really happening. If I’m so frustrated that I can’t write a scene, there must
be something wrong with the story. If I don’t want to write it, then who can I
expect to read it? Once I figure out where it went wrong, I can figure out how
to fix it. Then I’m ready to dive back in.

How many
projects do you have on the go at the same time?

One is more than enough!

Do you think you’re born with the talent to write or do you think it can be
learned?

I believe it
can be learned, but I think you’re born with the interest to do it. In my case,
I fell in love with writing in 2nd grade when our teacher gave us
little construction paper journals and had us write every day. I loved it! It
was a joy that never left me so I decided to get serious about it.

How many
future novels do you have planned?

Beyond Dream Frequency, I have a contemporary realistic YA that I’m going
to work on next, followed by a New Adult novel after that.

Do you write
other things, such as short stories, articles, blogs, etc?

I do have a couple short stories on Amazon. I have a blog but I only
write posts when I feel I have something to say. I also write picture books as
Sarah Perry.

What’s the
highlight of being published so far?

There is nothing like seeing the excitement someone else has for my work.
Especially people who aren’t related to me! There are two teenage girls, in
particular, who really enjoy Dream Girl and can’t wait for Dream Frequency to come
out. I’m not going to lie. It was really difficult to write Dream Frequency and
I often thought of those two girls and it helped me keep going.

Give
me one writing tip that works for you.

Trust yourself to write the story that’s inside of you. It can be very
hard writing a novel. It’s easy to second guess yourself or compare what you’re
doing to what others have done. It’s nice to remember that my story is exactly
that, mine. I am equipped to tell it if I just stop getting in my own way.

And one that
doesn't.

Real writers must write every day! Sorry. That just isn’t my reality. I
write when I have the energy and the time. I’ve tried to sit down and write
when I don’t have either of those things and nothing happens. It may take me
longer to get those drafts out, but I still do.

Can you give
us a clue or secret about the next book?

Dream Frequency takes place mostly in the United States Agency of Dream
Work. Readers finally get to see what that place is like and what it’s all
about.

What question
have you always wanted to be asked but never have? What would the answer be?

I
have always wanted Paul McCartney to ask me to dinner. The answer would be YES!
Does that count?

Brilliant! I love this answer - and hope one day Mr. McCartney gets in touch! Thank you so much for joining us today, S.J. Lomas. We wish you heaps of luck with and your other titles and future works.

If you want to follow S.J. Lomas' journey and find out more about her, here are some links that will help!

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Writing the random meeting of two characters that you know are going
to have romantic or friendship relationship is one of my favourite parts of being a writer. Whether it’s the love interest of the MC, or their future best friend,
the Meet Cute is so much fun to create!

However, recently I realised how important it is to step
outside of the fact that you, as the author, know these two characters are
destined to spend a lot of time together. Instead, get into their heads during
that first meeting. For example, when revising the love interests’ first
meeting in my WIP a few months ago, I revelled in their witty banter and loved
making both characters’ personalities shine through so that they could see they
were meant to be. It wasn’t until I reread it, getting into my characters’
heads at that particular point in the story (rather than my own head which
knows them inside-out), that I realised…

THIS GUY WOULD BE REALLY ANNOYING – DOESN’T HE HAVE ANYTHING
ELSE GOING ON IN HIS LIFE? WHY IS HE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME ON A STRANGER?

My poor characters were simply trying too hard.
Realistically, when you meet someone for the first time, you aren’t that
invested. Yes, I believe in instant attraction, and you can want someone to
like you straight away, but ultimately, if you’re going about your daily
business and strike up an unexpected conversation, you aren’t going delve into
straight-up teasing/banter/surprising that person with your one-of-a-kind
personality. In fact, if someone starting taking the mick out of me within
seconds of first meeting, I’d probably think they were an idiot, and not in a ‘hate-to-love’
type of way, just a ‘leave me alone’ kind of way.

Of course, if you want your characters to find each other
annoying then it’s perfect! A person who is initially annoying to your MC can
grow into something else (and it’s SO much fun to watch that happening!). But
my point is if you’re trying to give your characters an instant spark, then
sometimes you have to forget that you already know they’re going to become
friends or lovers. Imagine the situation as though the interest were any Tom,
Dick or Harry and ask yourself, WHY is my MC continuing this interaction? WHY
is the friend/love interest continuing this conversation? Have they got a super
friendly personality and talk to anyone? Or are they singling your main character
out (if so, why? And is that a bit creepy? Are they just hanging around waiting to meet your MC?)

These are all questions that I ask myself when I write
character meetings. Of course, fiction isn’t an exact reflection of real life,
and so it’s OK to keep your characters talking when in reality your MC might
have walked out of that coffee shop checking their bag for stolen items. Simply
take a moment to get into your MC and romantic/friendship interests’ heads and
ask yourself why they’re still chatting. If you know that, then the Meet Cute
will stay cute!

Monday, February 20, 2017

There is no doubt about it - I love pitch contests. And my two favourite are definitely Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness, which I am both involved in.

And Pitch Madness is about to start! You'll find me as the leader of Team Liquorice Castle, waiting impatiently for your pitches, along with my cohost, Jeyn Roberts, and our readers Heather Bryant and Laura Brown.

What would I love to have on my team this year? Well, at the moment it's totally up for grabs! Woo me with your wonderful words.

There is no doubt I'm a fan of weird. I adore unusual stories, especially those that come under the speculative fiction umbrella. SciFi and Fantasy are my jam. I love underrepresented voices in fiction, and there's bonus points for Own Voices. Geek is a family past-time so anything to go with gaming, cosplay, comic lovers and the like could make me swoon. Topics that are dear to my heart at the moment include women's rights, refugees, mental health, hidden conditions (such as epilepsy) and family. I'd also like to see some non-conventional settings (outside of the US/UK).

Sharon M. Johnston is an author and public relations specialist who lives in sunny Queensland, Australia.
She has been a Pitch Madness host for the past few years, and is also a Pitch Wars mentor.
Her New Adult Sci Fi Romance, DIVIDED: An Open Heart Novel Book 1, is out now with City Owl Press.

Saturday, February 18, 2017

The month of love is nearly over. Whether it was great, or
you just curled up in bed and waited out the baby with the bow and arrow,
congratulations, you’ve survived another Valentine’s Day!

In writing YA it’s easy to believe that every date is a make
or break moment for your life. This boy is the one! This date is the start of
something amazing (or, depending on the genre you’re working in, how a serial
killer chooses you as his next victim)!

Sometimes I worry that the literary community is setting the
world’s youth up for disappointment. In all likelihood, that date is just going
to be a date. Hopefully it won’t be terrible. If it is terrible, maybe you’ll
at least get a good story out of it. Maybe you’ll have a second date, maybe
you’ll stay together for a while, but in all likelihood, it’ll just be a date. Telling
stories that promise breathtaking romance seems like a cruel lie when the
beginning of Bridget Jones is more
likely to be the truth.

In an age where social media gives us polished looks into
people’s lives, it’s easy to think that being swept off your feet by the
perfect partner happens once a week, lavish bouquets are standard practice for
Tuesday breakfast, and if a relationship does end, it will be in utter tragedy.
It’s all either perfection or disastrous. It’s what we see in storytelling and
online.

How do we normalize…normal? It wouldn’t make a good book. A
long string of average dates with a side of being ghosted rather than dumped. I
don’t know how many people would want to read a whole book about having nothing
to say when someone flirts with you.

So then what? If the author platform won’t work, then
perhaps we should rely on the storytelling of those around us.

My Valentine’s Day consisted of brunch with my husband and a
ten hour rehearsal. There were no rose petals or drama involved. But that’s
okay. That’s how life should be. It might not be a great book, but it is a
great day.

YAtopia Team

We are ten writers passionate about Young Adult literature in all shapes and sizes. Check out our About Us page for details on all of our amazing contributors! Don't hesitate to contact us with questions or comments.